Apparatus for automatically opening and closing cocks, valves, switches, and the like.



. W. HOWLIN. APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING COOKS,VALVES, SWITCHES, AND THE LIKE.

, APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1910.

Patented May 14 1912.

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- W. HOWLIN.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING COCKS, VALVES, SWITCHES,AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1910.

1,026,586. v Patented May 14, 1912.

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W. HOWLIN.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING COOKS, VALVES, SWITCHES,AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1910 1,026,586. Patented May 14, 1912.

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" APPLIOATION FILED JULY 5/1910.

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TlTED STATES PATENT WILLIAM HOWLIN, or nnw'rowiv, NEAR SYDNEY, NEW SOUTHWALES, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING (SOCKS VALVES, SWITCHES,

AND THE LIKE.

Specification of lLetters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM HOWLIN, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, residing at 17 Laura street, Newtown, nearSydney, in the State of New South Wales, Commonwealth of Australia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forAutomatically Opening and Closing Cocks, Valves, Switches, and the Like,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus such as thatdescribed in the specification of my prior Patent No. 861,854 of 30thJuly 1907 whereby cocks valves electric switches and the like are openedor closed at predetermined times by means of clock work.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the size and simplifythe mechanism for eflecting the necessary movement of the cook or switchand at the same time render it more reliable in operation.

The invention comprises time setting means to be used in combinationwith clock work mechanism which supplies the power necessary to obtainmovement of either of two levers which in turn at a predetermined timeis caused to give a blow to one of two levers pivoted on a crank leversecured to the plug or stem of thecock or switch sufficient to instantlythrow it to the on or off position as the case may be. But referring tothe accompanying drawings I will describe the invention as applied tothe.

lighting and extinguishing of an ordinary gas lamp provided with a pilotlight or other igniting device.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus inclosed in a dustproofcasing with the front cover removed. Fig. 2 is a similar view with thecasing and the dial removed.

nary eight day clock mechanism and to the framework 11 of same isatlixed a base plate 12 having fixed axles 13 for the respective gearwheels 14 and 15 provided with sliding sleeves 16. To these sleeves areadjustably connected the hour hands 17 and 18 respectively. The gearwheels 14 and 15 are in mesh with a leaf pinion 19 common to both, saidpinion 19 being integral with the gear wheel 20 and rotatable on a fixedaxle 21 secured to the base plate. The gear wheel 20meshes with a pinion22 secured to the minute hand axle 23 which receives its motion in theusual manner.

The sleeves 16 of the gear wheels 14 and 15 have female threadedportions 24 for the male threaded end 25 of a key 26 for moving saidsleeves outwardly to unmesh the gear wheels from pinion 19, and foradjusting the said wheels as hereinafter described. This outwardmovement of the sleeves is limited by a collar 9 fixed on axle 21, saidcollar being shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 8, but omitted, for clearness ofillustration, in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. These gear wheels are kept in meshwith the pinion 19 by the springs 27 taking against them and the back ofthe dial plate 28 which is affixed to the framework 11. They hate pins29 and 30 which engage respectively with the projections 31 and 32 ondepending levers 33 and 34 pivoted to the base plate 12, said leversbeing held in normal position by the coil springs 35 and agalnst stoppins 36 in the base plate 12. The lower ends of the levers 33 and 34have angular extensions 37 and 38 respectively to engage with the levers39 and 40 which are pivoted at 41 to the crank lever 42 affixed to thestem 43 of the gas cook 44 of the gas sup- P y p p 5- 46 is a burnerhaving the usual pilot burner 47. y

The crank lever 42 has a sector groove 48 for the reception of a stoppin 49 secured to thegas cook 44. The levers 39 and 40 are substantiallyidentical in shape but are reversely pivoted to the crank lever 42'.Each of said levers has a tail piece 50, and an enlarged head 51 endingin a shoulder 52 and an extension 53. The lever 34 has a pin 54 toengage with and depress the tail 50 of lever 39 but the projection 31 onthe lever 33 being placed at the lower end thereof also acts to depressthe tail 50 of lever 40.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows :The on or left hour handis set by inserting the threaded end 25 of the key 26 in the sleeve 16of the gear wheel 14 which is then drawn out of contact with the leafpinion 19 thereby enabling it to be rotated to the hour marked on thedial at which it is desired to light up. The wheel 14 is then replacedin engagement with the pinion 19 and, preferably by means of the arm 56on the key 26, the hour hand is moved back to the actual time of day.The off or right hour hand is now similarly set by means of the key tothe hour at which the gas is to be turned off in the morning and thehand then turned back to the actual time. Then the pin 29 on the gearwheel 14 comes into contact with the projection 31 on the lever 33 (Fig.5) it will press against same and gradually force said lever outwardlyagainst the action of its spring 35. Just before the pin 29 passes overthe point of projection 31 the lower end of the latter depresses thetail piece 50 of lever 40 and thereby unlocks the valve by raising theopposite arm to permit it to clear the angular extension 38 and fallunder the head 51, (Fig. 6), the spring 35 pulling lever 3 1 against itsstop pin 36. On the projection 31 being released (when the pin 29 passessame) the angular extension 37 on the lever 33 will, through the actionof the spring, be caused to give a smart blow to the shoulder 52 onlever 39, and throw the crank lever 42 over and consequently the cock tothe open position (Fig. 7 At the same time the extension 37 looks thecock in the open position until the closing of the cock is about tooperate preferably half an hour before it is actually closed. Theextinguishing of the light is a reverse movement to the above and takesplace when the pin 30 on wheel 15 engages the projection 32 on lever34:. As the wheel progresses in its rotation the pin pushes theprojection 32 outward and on passing over same the angular extension 38on the lever 34 will strike the shoulder 52 on the lever 10 and throwthe crank lever over to the 01f position. Meanwhile the pin 54 depressesthe tail piece 50 of lever 39 and raises the opposite end of that leverclear of the extension 37 on lever 33 so that said extension will notobstruct the free movement of the levers 39 and 40 when the crank leveris thrown over.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatic time-controlled device,the combination, with a movable controller and an operating membersecured thereto; of a pair of reversely-arranged levers pivoted to saidoperating member; a pair of levers directly associated with thefirstnamed levers for actuating the same; a clockwork; and a pair ofmembers operatively connected with the clockwork for actuating thesecond-named levers.

2. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; and individual means for shifting said leversendwise.

3. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; means associated directly with one of said levers,for shifting both levers endwise in one'direction; and additional meansassociated directly with the other lever, for shifting both leversendwise in the opposite direction.

1. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; individual means for rocking said levers; andadditional individual means for shifting said levers endwise.

5. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; and a separate impact member associated with eachlever for shifting the same endwise.

6. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; and a separate spring-controlled impact memberassociated with each lever for shifting the same endwise.

7. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof endwise movable levers pivoted to said member for rocking the sameand said controller; and a separate spring-controlled lever associatedwith each firstnamed lever and provided with an extension adapted tostrike thereagainst, to shift said first-named levers endwise.

8. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged endwise movable levers pivoted centrally to said.

member for rocking the same and said controller; and a pair of leversoperatively associated with the first-named levers, each second-namedlever being adapted to engage one end of one of said first-named leversfor rocking that lever, and to subsequently engage the adjacent end ofthe other firstnamed lever for shifting both first-named levers in onedirection.

9. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller, and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged endwise movable levers pivoted centrally to saidmember for rocking the same and said controller, each lever having atail piece at one end and a head atthe opposite end; and a pair oflevers operatively associated with the first-named levers,'eachsecond-named lever being adapted to engage the tail-piece of one of saidfirst-named levers for rocking that lever, and to subsequently engagethe head of the other first-named lever for shifting both first-namedlevers in one direction.

10. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged endwise movable levers pivoted centrally to saidmember for rocking the same and said controller; and a pair 01":spring-controlled levers operatively associated with the firstnamedlevers, each second-named lever being adapted to engage one end of oneof said first-named levers for rocking that lever, and to subsequentlystrike against the adjacent end of the other first-named lever forshifting both first-named levers in one direction.

11. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged end- Wise movable levers pivoted centrally to saidmember for rocking the same and said controller, each lever having atail piece at one end and a head at the opposite end; and a pair ofspring-controlled levers operatively associated with the first-namedlevers, each second-named lever beingadapted to engage the tail-piece ofone of said firstnamed levers for rocking that lever, and tosubsequently strike against the head of the other first-named lever forshifting both first-named levers in one direction.

12. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged levers pivoted to said members for rocking thesame and said controller; and a pair of levers associated with thefirst-named levers, each second-named lever being provided with a pairof extensions, one of which is adapted to engage the adjacent end of oneof said first-named levers for rocking that lever, while the otherextension is adapted to strike against the adjacent end of the otherfirst-named lever for shifting both first-named levers endwise.

13. In an automatic time-controlled device, the combination, with arotatable controller and an operating member secured thereto; of a pairof reversely-arranged endwise movable levers pivoted centrally to saidmember for rocking the same and said controller, each lever having atail piece at one end and a head at the opposite end; and a pair oflevers associated with the first named levers, each second-named leverbe ing provided with a pair of extensions, one of which is adapted toengage the tail piece of one first-named lever for rocking that leverwhile the other extension is adapted to engage the head of the otherfirst-named lever for shifting both first-named levers endwise.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HOWLIN. Witnesses:

CHARLES Gr. GRAHAM, HENRY W. CLARKE.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

